Directions: Over medium heat, add the olive oil to a large pot. Add the chopped onion and allow to cook until tender, about three to four minutes. Add in chopped garlic and cook for an additional two minutes. Pour in the two cans of tomatoes (juice and all) and the vegetable stock. Stir in the basil, oregano, sugar, and salt and pepper. Place the lid back onto the pot and allow to simmer ten minutes. At the end, stir in the Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese until well blended. Use either an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup if you prefer a smooth texture. Garnish with chopped basil and grated cheddar cheese if desired.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Blend in vanilla. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.﻿﻿

While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished. {Note: for smoother looking truffles, don't add cake mix to melted chocolate, just leave it by itself}

Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.

2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent. Add flour to form a roux and cook for an additional minute.

3. Add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps from the roux. When lumps are worked out, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.

4. Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.

Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.

Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ingredients:Servings:4Units: US | MetricCurry Sauce2 teaspoons chili oil1/4 cup onion2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves2 teaspoons ginger1 cup chicken broth1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1/2 teaspoon ground coriander1/2 teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper1/4 teaspoon ground mace1/4 teaspoon turmeric3 cups coconut milk2 medium carrots, julienned1 small zucchini, julienned1/2 cup frozen peasPeanut Sauce1/4 cup creamy peanut butter2 tablespoons water4 teaspoons sugar1 tablespoon soy sauce1 teaspoon rice vinegar1 teaspoon lime juice1/2 teaspoon chili oil2 chicken breast fillets16 large raw shrimp, shelled1/4 cup cornstarch1/2 cup vegetable oil4 cups cooked white riceGarnish1 1/2 cups flaked coconut1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crumbled2 tablespoons peanuts2 green onions, juliennedDirections:1Make the curry sauce by heating the chili oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about about 30 seconds then add the chicken broth. Add the spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, and turmeric) and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk. Bring mixture back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add the julienned carrots and zucchini, and the frozen peas. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes or until carrots become tender.2Make peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.3Toast the flaked coconut by preheating your oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven. Stir the coconut around every 10 minutes or so that it browns evenly, but watch it closely in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't get too dark. After 25 to 30 minutes the coconut should be light brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.4Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Coat the chicken and shrimp with corn starch. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the coated chicken to the pan and sauté it for a couple minutes, turning as it cooks. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook the shrimp and chicken for a couple minutes, until it's done, then remove everything to a rack or towel to drain.5Build the two plates (or you can divide the meal into four portions) by filling a soup bowl with 2 cups of white rice. Press down on the rice. Invert the bowl onto the center of a plate, tap it a bit, then lift off the bowl leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. Arrange an equal portion of chicken and shrimp around the rice. Spoon the curry sauce and vegetables over the chicken and shrimp, being careful not to get any sauce on top of the rice.6Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled, dried parsley over the center of the rice. Add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts on the parsley, then place a pile of julienned green onions on top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of toasted coconut over the chicken and shrimp and serve it up.

Thin Mint Oreo Ice Cream Cakemakes a 9 inch pie pan (double for a 9x13 pan)20 Mint Oreos, crushed2 T. butter, melted4 cups mint ice cream (mint cookie, mint chocolate chip, whatever you prefer), softened1 cup Cool Whip + the rest of the container, softened10 Thin Mints, crushed OR 10 more Mint Oreos, crushedIn a bowl, stir together the crushed Oreos and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan to form a crust. Freeze for an hour.In a large bowl, stir together the mint ice cream and the 1 cup of Cool Whip. Pour into the pie pan over the now-frozen crust. Freeze for about 20 minutes.Sprinkle the top of the ice cream with the crushed Thin Mints (or extra Oreos). Kind of press them into the top. Spread with the rest of the Cool Whip. Freeze for at least 2 more hours before serving.

Directions:Cutcheese in half to give you 24 pieces.Placecheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen.

In small bowl,whiskthe egg.Placethe flour on another small dish. In separate bowl,combinebread crumbs, panko, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.

Dipthe frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs.

Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).When ready to bake preheatoven to 400° F. Linea baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightlyspraywith oil.

Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet.Spraythe tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil andbakein the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes.Turnandbakean additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.Makes 24 pieces.* There will be extra crumbs and flour after breading, I've deducted them from the nutritional info.

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